SAN LEANDRO, Calif., Oct. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- October 9, 2014 – Today Type A Machines, manufacturer of the award-winning Series 1 3D Printer, announced it was launching the largest cluster of 3D-printing-related products and services under one roof. By joining forces, the 12 member companies of the Bay Area Advanced Manufacturing (BAAM) hub "make it faster, cheaper, and easier to produce goods here in America than overseas," said Espen Sivertsen, CEO of Type A Machines.

"BAAM is dedicated to developing new manufacturing jobs as well as new manufacturing technologies," he continued. "We are honored that Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Congressman Steny Hoyer could be present the day BAAM was launched officially."

"In the areas of advanced manufacturing, 3D printing, and regional economic growth, the East Bay continues to lead the way," said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. "Today's announcement of the formation of the Bay Area Advanced Manufacturing is another great example of that leadership and investment in business-to-business opportunities that create good-paying manufacturing jobs here in the East Bay."

Many business owners find traditional prototyping and manufacturing too expensive for low-volume (less than 10,000 units) or highly customized products. Dan Walters, for example, owns Copper Harbor, Inc. The small San Leandro-based chemical company wanted to develop single-use packaging for the company's powerful, two-part adhesive.

Traditional prototyping in the US followed by manufacture in China would have required an estimated $50,000, a great deal of time, and a minimum order far larger than Copper Harbor needed. So Walters turned to 3D printing instead.

For less than $5,000, Copper Harbor prototyped and manufactured a key component of its packaging. The company kept its expenses low, avoided waste, and retained a major customer by using a Type A Machines Series 1 3D Printer and supplementary services from BAAM member Mind 2 Matter, a 3D print service bureau.­

ABOUT BAAMThe seed for BAAM was planted in early 2014, when Sivertsen discovered that a significant number of Type A Machines' customers were using their 3D printers as a low-cost alternative to injection molding.

There are 200+ startups in the 3D printing space but little collaboration between them. As a result, customers often face a host of problems in moving from idea to object. Those customers needed a speedy and affordable prototype-to-product pipeline, the pipeline now provided by BAAM.

For customers, this pipeline cuts cost and time to market. For society as a whole, it reduces manufacturing waste and helps create skilled, new manufacturing jobs here in the US. BAAM is located at The Gate, a former automobile manufacturing plant turned technology and art center in San Leandro, Calif. BAAM members include:

About Type A MachinesType A Machines has won several industry awards for its 3D printer, including Editor's Choice in PC Mag and Best in Class by Make: Magazine. For more information, visit www.typeamachines.com.